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August 07, 2010

Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari has recently been criticized for showing apathy towards the recent disaster and troubles in his country and shying away for a tour in Europe.

Reports are coming that an elderly man had thrown his both shoes at him today as he attended a 1000 people strong political rally in Birmingham.

Mr. Zardari was addressing the Pakistan People’s Party’s convention in Birmingham when the shoes were thrown and landed just short of him. There are videos of the rally and the news and people are searching for a clear footage of the incident.

_samiran: Time Line flooded with #ZardariFacedShoe now interested to find out which company made the shoe. And did Zardari saab has 10% in it also!rai_azlan: i condemn this Joota event as Jooty ki bhi koi Izat hoti hy #ZardariFacedShoeirfantariq: As per geo no video is available of shoe throwing #pakistan #zardari #zardarifacedshoemohsinhijazee: We're ahead of USA. Two shoes in comparison to one. #zardarifacedshoedrumairali: look at the courage of the old Man he threw not one but both his shoes at him....your a legend Sir..... #zardarifacedshoequest4clarity: #PPP saying protests are a sign of their success, WTF?! #ZardariFacedShoesamishah: Next time: Exploding shoe! #zardarifacedshoekadnan: make sure u will be rejoicing in same tone when a shoe hurls at your darling political/religious leader #ZardariFacedShoekadnan: the man who threw shoe at Zardari has been arrested #ZardariFacedShoerai_azlan: Police has let the Baba ji go after a small talk, #ZardariFacedShoerai_azlan: question of the DAY: was the Shoe branded???? #UKP, #PPP, #CHITTAR, #ZardariFacedShoeshahidsaeed: I repeat "Award winning" bloggers who never cared 2 post abt the flood celebrating shoe throwing is pathetic & disgusting #Zardarifacedshoe

<span>It becomes apparent that this protest has nothing to do with a principled opposition to Zardari; this was simply a crass display of the fascist and violent sentiments of two Islamist parties that have never made any electoral gains in Pakistan and whose ties with the shadowy establishment supporters of Islamist militias is known to all those who do not subscribe to an ostrich mentality.

It is equally disappointing to see some of these sentiments on the blogs of the pseudo intellectuals of Pakistan whose headlines seem as they though they have been dictated by the shadowy anti-democratic intelligence community. <span> </span>There is smug celebration on many of these blogs and facebook walls of a shoe throwing incident at Zardari’s speech in Birmingham; an act that was advocated in advance by those whose visceral hatred for secular politicians is matched by their mental servitude to the Islamist establishment.

This is truly a sad reflection of the state of affairs. One wonders if these educated upper class elites who scoff and selectively criticize Zardari will ever have the guts and courage to take an unequivocal stance against the Taliban. Will these elites ever advocate for the rights of the marginalized Balochis instead of labeling them as fifth columnists and traitors due to their (Baloch) opposition to the brutal military crackdown against their nationalist youth. Will they ever criticize the security establishment for allotting 80% of the national budget for themselves and thereby denying the development of crucial infrastructure such as dams that could have reduced the severity of the current floods.<span> </span></span>

<p><span><span>“pseudo intellectuals of Pakistan whose headlines seem as they though they have been dictated by the shadowy anti-democratic intelligence community.”</span></span></p><p><span><span> </span></span></p><p><span><span>“secular politicians”.</span></span></p><p><span><span> </span></span></p><p><span><span>I don’t even know where to start you seem like you have no idea about the country you are talking about as a matter of fact I don’t even think u have ever been to Pakistan.</span></span></p><p><span><span> </span></span></p><p><span><span>First of all talking about pseudo intellectuals of Pakistan and anti-democratic as you said. </span></span></p><p><span><span> </span></span></p><p><span><span>Democracy is a shame specially when it comes to third world countries where common person would sell there votes for less then a $. Especially when country is divided in to so many casts, religious sects and provincial Identities and most of them are <span> </span>unable them to look beyond all thins and chose there representative wisely.</span></span></p><p><span><span>I don’t blame them as we don’t see any real results in our previous 62 years of history. To be hones we don’t even have democracy we have a one party system if we look at it “the looter party” I should call with a option to blame the previous government and shrug the blame.</span></span></p>

<p><span><span>Shoe throwing incident is just one of the non violent way of showing there frustration for the common person.</span></span></p><p><span><span> </span></span></p><p><span><span>Secondly talking about the secular politicians. Don’t even get me started on that first we got a country on the name of ISLAM and now these politician are going against the very idea. Secularism is not a idea that you can make some one understand by explaining. It’s an idea or I should say way of life don’t take me wrong I think its time for public of Pakistan to get out of the shoe box and look out side. But what actually happening is all these efforts are beyond a common persons imagination who lives in “Islamic Republic of Pakistan” and world expects them to act as if they are in “Democratic Republic of Pakistan”.</span></span></p><p><span><span> </span></span></p><p><span><span>On top of that 70% illiterate (religious Arabic education is all they have) and live in rural areas even if we successfully liberalize them, then what about the rest of them. It’s a social change and it takes time now just effort.</span></span></p><p><span><span> </span></span></p><p><span><span>Last thing I want to say is don’t take others word literally for fact just because fascist ideology did not worked in western world does not means it wont work in Islamic courtiers too. Islam teats all muslims a entity and Islamic ideology and fascist ideology is pretty close if you ask me.</span></span><span><span> </span></span></p><p><span><span>Again I am not giving my point of view I am merely trying to putting facts and reality together<span> </span>of the nation we call Pakistan.</span></span></p><p><span><span> </span></span><span><span><span> O</span>n one side you talk about fascism and on the other hand democracy. I don’t think democracy can work in a country <span> </span></span></span><span></span></p>

<span><span>It becomes apparent that this protest has nothing to do with a principled opposition to Zardari; this was simply a crass display of the fascist and violent sentiments of two Islamist parties that have never made any electoral gains in Pakistan and whose ties with the shadowy establishment supporters of Islamist militias is known to all those who do not subscribe to an ostrich mentality.

It is equally disappointing to see some of these sentiments on the blogs of the pseudo intellectuals of Pakistan whose headlines seem as they though they have been dictated by the shadowy anti-democratic intelligence community.<span> </span>There is smug celebration on many of these blogs and facebook walls of a shoe throwing incident at Zardari’s speech in Birmingham; an act that was advocated in advance by those whose visceral hatred for secular politicians is matched by their mental servitude to the Islamist establishment.

This is truly a sad reflection of the state of affairs. One wonders if these educated upper class elites who scoff and selectively criticize Zardari will ever have the guts and courage to take an unequivocal stance against the Taliban. Will these elites ever advocate for the rights of the marginalized Balochis instead of labeling them as fifth columnists and traitors due to their (Baloch) opposition to the brutal military crackdown against their nationalist youth. Will they ever criticize the security establishment for allotting 80% of the national budget for themselves and thereby denying the development of crucial infrastructure such as dams that could have reduced the severity of the current floods.<span> </span></span></span><span><span><span></span></span></span>